Standing seam roof assemblies have been utilized for simpler manufacturing, particularly in order to reduce complexity in erecting buildings. In such assemblies, numerous panels are supplied with differing end portions, each having what is termed a female portion and a smaller male portion. In such a manner, the panels are laid one next to the other and secured through seaming the male and female portions of adjacent panels together. Such roof assemblies are designed to provide excellent watertight seals as well as effective wind resistance to ensure leak-proof structures as well as high stability against updrafts. Additionally, the seams include panel portions that are allowed to flex to compensate for temperature variations so the roof itself will not disintegrate upon contraction or protraction. For simplification of the overall assembly system, the seamed panels are attached to the building structure via brackets or like components, at a limited number of points in each connected panel. Thus, it is very important to provide excellent seal strengths upon seaming of such individual roof assembly panels together in order ensure the roof assembly does not destabilize at the seam attachment points. As well, the seaming procedure is generally accomplished through the utilization of a motorized seaming apparatus that moves along the length of overlapping edges of adjacent panels.
The panels themselves are made generally from metal materials that exhibit excellent strength characteristics, low propensity for rusting, and, of great importance, suitable flexibility for seaming to be accomplished. A seam between the two panels should provide not only waterproof seals between panels, but also the ability to hold two panels together effectively to prevent or at least substantially reduce any slippage between them. Any appreciable reduction in the dimensional stability of the roof assembly itself would result in roof failure from a leakage perspective, at least.
Typical self-propelled seaming devices include cylindrical rollers to contact vertical roofing panels in order to not only apply sufficient pressure to permit the seaming components of the device to perform as needed between the male and female portions of separate panels, but also to provide the propulsion of the device along the length of the contacted vertical portions of such panels as well. Such rollers, unfortunately, although the standard within the industry up to the present date, have exhibited certain drawbacks in performance that have led to potentially suspect results for seamed roof assemblies. For instance, since a series of rollers are utilized within these seaming devices, at no time with a uniform pressure be exerted along the entire length of the target panels since gaps in contact points will always exist (the rollers must have some separation, in other words). As such, there exists the potential for slippage over the length of the target panel by the rollers themselves. A reduced contact area may contribute to misalignment of the panel, particularly at lap joints and clip locations over the entire assembly. This, in turn, may lead to weakened stress points, creating a distinct possibility for weakening of the entire structure, or, at least, the potential for water leakage and/or wind draft problems.
Furthermore, the lack of constant contact with the target panel, and thus only tangential contact intermittently across a panel length, causes the aforementioned propensity for creasing, dimpling, as well as possible scratching and/or marring. With the seaming portions of the apparatus providing their own intermittent force over the length of the conjoined panels during the seaming operation, unevenness in pressure application leads to such potential aesthetically displeasing results over the resultant seamed panels. Unfortunately, such displeasing results are not limited to aesthetic issues as marring, dimpling, etc., may lead to similar problems as noted above, particularly weakening of the overall seam and greater possibility of water damage, rusting, and wind draft failures.
Improvements in seaming devices have basically been limited to providing differing angles and sizes of seaming portions (posts) in order to initiate a first degree of seaming distance, followed by further enhancements during the seaming operation to create as close a seam as possible. The need for self-propelled devices has led to limited variability in terms of the pressure supply on the side opposite the seaming portions of a subject apparatus. Thus, rollers have been the standard components for such a purpose. As noted above, such standard components exhibit drawbacks in the finished seamed roof assembly that have yet to be overcome. To date, then, no viable suggestions for replacing the roller components of a roof seaming apparatus have been provided the industry.